Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz)

When we washed the deceased daughter of the Prophet, he said to us, while we were washing her, "Start the bath from the right side and from the parts which are washed in ablution."

Um 'Atiyya said that they had entwined the hair of the daughter of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in three braids. They first undid her hair, washed and then entwined it in three braids."

Um 'Atiyya (an Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ) ) came to Basra to visit her son, but she could not find him. She narrated to us, "The Prophet (ﷺ) came to us while we were giving bath to his (dead) daughter, he said: 'Wash her three times, five times or more, if you think it necessary, with water and Sidr, and last of all put camphor, and when you finish, notify me.' " Um 'Atiyya added, "After finishing, we informed him and he gave us his waist sheet and told us to shroud her in it and did not say more than that."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was shrouded in three pieces of cloth and neither a shirt nor a turban were used.

Once the meal of `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf was brought in front of him, and he said, "Mus`ab bin `Umair was martyred and he was better than I, and he had nothing except his Burd (a black square narrow dress) to be shrouded in. Hamza or another person was martyred and he was also better than I and he had nothing to be shrouded in except his Burd. No doubt, I fear that the rewards of my deeds might have been given early in this world." Then he started weeping.

We were forbidden to accompany funeral processions but not strictly.

One of the sons of Um 'Atiyya died, and when it was the third day she asked for a yellow perfume and put it over her body, and said, "We were forbidden to mourn for more than three days except for our husbands."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The deceased is tortured in his grave for the wailing done over him."

Narrated Shu'ba:

The deceased is tortured for the wailing of the living ones over him .

That his father said, "In the year of the last Hajj of the Prophet (ﷺ) I became seriously ill and the Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit me inquiring about my health. I told him, 'I am reduced to this state because of illness and I am wealthy and have no inheritors except a daughter, (In this narration the name of 'Amir bin Sa`d is mentioned and in fact it is a mistake; the narrator is `Aisha bint Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas). Should I give two-thirds of my property in charity?' He said, 'No.' I asked, 'Half?' He said, 'No.' then he added, 'Onethird, and even one-third is much. You'd better leave your inheritors wealthy rather than leaving them poor, begging others. You will get a reward for whatever you spend for Allah's sake, even for what you put in your wife's mouth.' I said, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Will I be left alone after my companions have gone?' He said, 'If you are left behind, whatever good deeds you will do will upgrade you and raise you high. And perhaps you will have a long life so that some people will be benefited by you while others will be harmed by you. O Allah! Complete the emigration of my companions and do not turn them renegades.' But Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) felt sorry for poor Sa`d bin Khaula as he died in Mecca." (but Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas lived long after the Prophet (p.b.u.h).)

When the Prophet (ﷺ) got the news of the death of Ibn Haritha, Ja`far and Ibn Rawaha he sat down and looked sad and I was looking at him through the chink of the door. A man came and told him about the crying of the women of Ja`far. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered him to forbid them. The man went and came back saying that he had told them but they did not listen to him. The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "Forbid them." So again he went and came back for the third time and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! By Allah, they did not listen to us at all." (`Aisha added): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered him to go and put dust in their mouths. I said, (to that man) "May Allah stick your nose in the dust (i.e. humiliate you)! You could neither (persuade the women to) fulfill the order of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) nor did you relieve Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) from fatigue. "

When the reciters of Qur'an were martyred, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited Qunut for one month and I never saw him (i.e. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)) so sad as he was on that day.

Sa`d bin 'Ubada became sick and the Prophet (ﷺ) along with `Abdur Rahman bin `Auf, Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas and `Abdullah bin Mas`ud visited him to inquire about his health. When he came to him, he found him surrounded by his household and he asked, "Has he died?" They said, "No, O Allah's Apostle." The Prophet (ﷺ) wept and when the people saw the weeping of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) they all wept. He said, "Will you listen? Allah does not punish for shedding tears, nor for the grief of the heart but he punishes or bestows His Mercy because of this." He pointed to his tongue and added, "The deceased is punished for the wailing of his relatives over him." `Umar used to beat with a stick and throw stones and put dust over the faces (of those who used to wail over the dead).

When the news of the martyrdom of Zaid bin Haritha, Ja`far and `Abdullah bin Rawaha came, the Prophet sat down looking sad, and I was looking through the chink of the door. A man came and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! The women of Ja`far," and then he mentioned their crying . The Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered him to stop them from crying. The man went and came back and said, "I tried to stop them but they disobeyed." The Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered him for the second time to forbid them. He went again and came back and said, "They did not listen to me, (or "us": the sub-narrator Muhammad bin Haushab is in doubt as to which is right). " (`Aisha added: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Put dust in their mouths." I said (to that man), "May Allah stick your nose in the dust (i.e. humiliate you)." By Allah, you could not (stop the women from crying) to fulfill the order, besides you did not relieve Allah's Apostle from fatigue."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whenever you see a funeral procession, stand up till the procession goes ahead of you." Al-Humaidi added, "Till the coffin leaves you behind or is put down."

A funeral procession passed in front of us and the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up and we too stood up. We said, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! This is the funeral procession of a Jew." He said, "Whenever you see a funeral procession, you should stand up."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, When the funeral is ready and the men carry it on their shoulders, if the deceased was righteous it will say, 'Present me (hurriedly),' and if he was not righteous, it will say, 'Woe to it (me)! Where are they taking it (me)?' Its voice is heard by everything except man and if he heard it he would fall unconscious."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When a funeral is ready and the men carry the deceased on their necks (shoulders), if it was pious then it will say, 'Present me quickly', and if it was not pious, then it will say, 'Woe to it (me), where are they taking it (me)?' And its voice is heard by everything except mankind and if he heard it he would fall unconscious."

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) informed his companions about the death of An-Najashi and then he went ahead (to lead the prayer) and the people lined up behind him in rows and he said four Takbir.

Ash Shu`bi said, "I was informed by a man who had seen the Prophet (ﷺ) going to a grave that was separate from the other graves and he aligned the people in rows and said four Takbir." I said, "O Abu `Amr! who narrated (that) to you"? He said, "Ibn `Abbas. "

Ash-Shu`bi said, "Somebody who passed along with your Prophet (p.b.u.h) by a grave that was separate from the other graves informed me (saying), "The Prophet (ﷺ) led us (in the prayer) and we aligned behind him." We said, "O Abu `Amr! Who told you this narration?" He replied, "Ibn `Abbas."